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Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Wayne Parkinson Headteacher Brampton Primary School School Board Lane Brampton Chesterfield Derbyshire S40 1DD

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Ofsted visit to Brampton Primary School

Following my visit with Christine Watkins, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 3 December 2020, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the visit’s findings. Thank you for the time you made available to discuss your actions since September 2020, when the government expected all schools to open fully to all pupils.

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Ofsted visit to Brampton Primary School

This visit was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections are temporarily suspended.

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Ofsted visit to Brampton Primary School

Ofsted’s visits to schools during the autumn term are not inspections. We are not giving graded judgements. We did not undertake the usual range of inspection activities and were unable to check other sources of evidence, such as visits to lessons or looking at pupils’ work. The content of this letter gives an overview of our discussions about what has happened in your school this term.

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Ofsted visit to Brampton Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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Context

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s education system is managing the return to full education for pupils, following an extended break in formal schooling due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

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Context

 approximately 1,200 schools across all Ofsted grades (outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate)  maintained schools, academies and free schools, special schools and centres of alternative provision, including those in cities, and coastal, town or rural communities.

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Context

The information from this visit will feed into Ofsted’s national reporting so that the insights can be shared with the government and the education sector. We did not find any significant concerns during the visit. In such a case, an inspection report would be published on our website and available to parents and carers.

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Context

We did not consider your response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer terms 2020, when the school was not open to all pupils.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 Since the start of the school year, due to COVID-19, around one third of pupils have had to study at home at some point.  Pupils are studying all subjects in the school’s normal curriculum. Some aspects, such as swimming, have been rescheduled to take place later in the school year. Most extra-curricular clubs are operating.  Teachers in the early years have noted that children in the Reception Year have returned with lower levels of skills in language and communication. Teachers are giving them activities designed to help them to improve these aspects.  Teachers have checked pupils’ starting points in English and mathematics for those pupils in Year 1 up to Year 6. Younger pupils have some gaps in their phonic knowledge. Teachers are providing extra support, so that pupils can learn the sounds and letters they do not know.  Teachers’ assessments showed that many pupils in Year 6 had begun the school year unable to remember some of the arithmetic work they had been

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

taught. Teachers are teaching these aspects again so that pupils are confident in their calculations.  Pupils have missed much of the topic work they were due to learn in the summer term. Teachers are planning to deliver this during the rest of the school year, combining aspects where they can.  Remote education has been provided for any pupils who are self-isolating, as well as for year group ‘bubbles’. This has been delivered using online programmes for reading and mathematics, as well as some topic work. Leaders plan to buy software and to train staff so that they can deliver some aspects using video.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

Thank you again for contributing to this important national work. The views and experiences you have shared will help to inform future policy.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derbyshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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